I guess if you're going to go, you might as well go big, right? Yesterday, at the OBF, my buddy Dave and I went really, really big. At the end of the day, at least one taste of each of the following made it's way into my mug:

• Bison Brewing - Organic Chocolate Stout
  
• Deschutes Brewery - 19th Anniversary Golden Ale
  
• Diamond Knot Brewing - Industrial IPA
  
• Fearless Brewing - Fearless Scottish Ale
  
• Fifty Fifty Brewing - Donner Party Porter
  
• Hopworks Urban Brewery - Hopworks Organic IPA
  
• Lucky Labrador Brew Pub - Triple Threat IPA
  
• Max's Fanno Creek Brew Pub - Farmer's Daughter
  
• McMenemin's Fulton Pub and Brewery - Monkey House
  
• Ninkasi Brewing - Believer
  
• Russian River Brewing - Pliny the Elder
  
• Silver City Brewing - Whoop Pass Double IPA
  
• Stone Brewing - Stone 7/7/7 Vertical Epic
  
• Widmer Brothers Brewing - Noggin Grog
  

With the exception of one beer, I enjoyed them all. A few were really world class. Pliny the Elder, even though it's an old standby, was probably the beer of the night for me. Everything I look for in a big, hoppy beer was there; enough to make it the only beer I sought a second helping of. The Diamond Knot Industrial IPA was a not-too-distant second. It's a unique take on the double IPA formula, which I found to work really well. More spicy and earthy than citrusy. I'd love to know what their hopping schedule was for it. I was also really surprised by what the Lucky Lab and the McMens had brought. I'm usually prepared for mediocrity whenever I sample one of their beers, but both IPAs were very pleasant. Here's hoping they start making a regular appearance around town.

Noggin Grog was the only beer I wouldn't want to have more of. I think it was a noble experiment, but it just didn't work for me. I mean it really didn't work for me. Too much spice and too much Belgian funk make it taste remarkably like cold, sliced bologna (I shit you not). From what I'm reading on other blogs, it seems like most of the imperial wits are getting equally lackluster reactions. Jeff Alworth, over at Beervana recommends putting the style into the dustbin. I'd go a step further, bury that dustbin, salt the earth around it, and pray to the Old Ones that it never again sees the light of day.